Prefabricated wall facing panels

Abstract

A prefabricated wall facing panel for buildings is described. A method of making such panels is also disclosed. The panels comprise a rigid polyurethane backing sheet and a plurality of facing elements embedded in said sheet. Tongue and groove formations at the respective upper and lower edges of the panel are provided for interlocking with adjacent panels. The panels are secured to a support surface by channel-shaped attachment members which can be nailed to the support surface and which engage in the grooves in the panels.

I claim: 
     
       1. A wall facing applied to a support surface and comprising a plurality of prefabricated wall panels, and means attaching said panels to said surface; said panels each comprising: a rigid sheet of a thermally insulating material having an outer surface, a generally flat inner surface, two opposite end edges, and two opposite side edges;   the panels being arranged in a plurality of aligned horizontal rows including a bottom row with said side edges disposed horizontally and with the panels in each row in abutting end-to-end relationship, the lower side edges of the panels in said bottom row being formed with aligned longitudinally extending grooves and the remaining side edges of the panels being shaped to define co-operating tongues and grooves, the rows of panels being interlocked with one another by engagement of the tongue and groove side edges of the respective panels;     and wherein said means attaching the panels to a support surface consists solely of a plurality of elongate attachment members disposed at the inner sides of said panels generally co-extensively with joint lines defined by said side edges of the panels, each of said attachment members comprising a first limb attached to said support surface, and a second limb which projects outwardly from said first limb and is engaged in said groove of at least one of the panels, the attachment members at the lower side edges of the panels in said bottom row being generally U-shaped with said first limbs longer than said second limbs and the remaining attachment members having a cross-sectional shape resembling a lower case letter h.   
     
     
       2. A wall facing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tongue is of truncated triangular shape in cross-section and extends longitudinally and generally centrally of the relevant side edge of the panel. 
     
     
       3. A wall facing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said thermally insulating material is a rigid polyurethane foam. 
     
     
       4. A wall facing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said facing elements are spaced from one another to define simulating mortar seams between the elements, and wherein the panel further includes granular material disposed in said spaces and bonded to the thermally insulating material for simulating the appearance of mortar. 
     
     
       5. A wall facing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said end edges of each panel are shaped so that the panel can be interlocked end-to-end with adjacent panels in the same row, one of said side edges including at least one formation protuberant from the relevant edge, while the other end edge includes a complimentary recess for receiving said protuberant formation on an adjacent panel. 
     
     
       6. A wall facing as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said panel further comprises a plurality of facing elements distributed over and embedded in said outer surface of the backing sheet and arranged to produce a simulated masonry appearance at the exterior surface of the panel.